Whiffletree-hook.



No. 812,390. PATENTED FEB. 13, 1966. G. W. WILSON.

WHIFPLETREE HOOK. APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1905.

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UNITED s'rnrns' PATENT @FFIGE.

GEORGE W. WILSON, ROCKGREEK, IDAHO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES E. MOEVOY, OF HAG'ERMAN, IDAHO.

WHlFFLETREE-HOOKI Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1906,

Application filed May 23,1905. Serial No. 261,769.

T 0 (LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockcreek, in the county of Cassia and State of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Whif fletree Hook, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in whiffletree-hooks.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of whiflietreehooks and to provide a' simple and comparatively inexpensive device which will effectually prevent a trace from becoming accidentally unfastened and which will be adapted to receive a harness having either a flat trace or a chain, whereby much time will be saved when changing a horse or team from a heavy to a light vehicle, or vice versa.

A further object of the invention is to dis pen'se with springs in the construction of whifiletree-hooks and to provide trace-holding means adapted to be readily operated to secure a trace to or release the same from a whifiietree and capable in event of breakage of being readily replaced at a small cost.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a whiffletree-hook constructed. in accordance with this invention, the traceholder being closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the trace -holder being open. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, the parts being arranged as shown in Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference designate cor responding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a sleeve or ferrule closed at its outer end and forming a cap for the ends of a whiffletree 2 and provided at its front with an integral trace-receiving hook 3 and having a trace-receiving tongue 4 extending from its outer closed end. The hook 3 and the tongue 4 are preferablyformed integral with the sleeve or ferrule; but they may be of any other desired construction, as will be readily understood. The trace-receiving hook 3 is connected at its inner side to the sleeve or ferrule and its outer side 5, which constitute's the bill, is spaced from the sleeve or ferrule, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, to enable a ring or link of a' trace-chain to be readily engaged with it. The tongue or stud 4, which is'provided at its outer end with a horizontally-disposed head, is adapted to extend through the eye of a leather trace, and by providing both a hook and a tongue or stud the whiffletree is adapted to be connected.

with any kind of harness, thereby obviating the necessity of changing the harness ofa horse when it is changed from one kind of a vehicle to another. A trace is retained in engagement with the whiffletre'e by means of a pivoted or hinged trace-holder 6, which is adapted to be swung upward from the position shown in Fig. -1 to that illustrated in Fig. 2 and which has a transversely-curved body portion conforming to the configuration of the whiffletree. The body portion of the trace-holder is provided at its inner end with a pair of cars 7,.which' are curved to lit the whiflletree and which are perforated to receive a transverse pin or pivot 8, which forms a pintle for the trace-holder. The ears 7 are arranged at an inclination and extend downwardly and inwardly toward the inner end of the sleeve or ferrule when the trace-holder is closed.

The trace-holder is provided at its outer end with a pair of transverselydisposed clamping-jaws 9, which are curved downwardly and which are adapted to embrace the whiffletree at a point below the horizontaldiameter thereof, whereby the trace-holder is effectuallyprevented. from being swung upward accidentally. The terminal 10 of the depending clamping-jaws are bent outwardly, being arranged in substantially a horizontal plane, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. These outturned terminals serve as convenient means for disengagingthe clamping-jaws from the whifl letree to permit the trace-holder to be swung upward. Also the outturned end of the front jaw isinterposed between the bill of the hook and the whiffietree and is adapted to close the entrance to the hook 3 for confining a link or ring of a trace 1n engagement with the hook.

The trace-holder is provided at its outer end with a hook 11, consisting of an angularly-disposed arm 12 and a depending bill or engaging portion 13, which extends through an opening 14 of the trace-receiving tongue of'the whiflletree when the trace-holder is closed.

When the trace-holder is closed, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the space between the bill of the hook 3 and the tree is closed and the engaging end portion or bill 13 of the tr'aceholder extends through theopening 14 of the tongue or stud, so that a trace will be securely fastened to the whifiietree whether in engagement with the hook 3 or the tongue or stud 4. The trace-holder Wlll not become frozen or inoperative in cold weather, and should it become broken it can be readily replaced at a very small cost. The hook 1 1, which engages the projecting tongue of the whiflletree, is also adapted to be readily grasped for enabling the trace-holder to be swung upward to release the trace.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a whiflietree, a trace-receiving hook arranged at the side thereof, a tracereceiving tongue located at the end of the whiflietree, and a movable trace-holder provided with means for engaging the tongue and for simultaneously closing the entrance to thehook. 4

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a whiflletree, a trace-receivmg" hook arranged at the side thereof, a tracereceiving tongue located at the end of the whiflietree, and a pivoted trace-holder arranged to swing upward and downward to open and close it and provided with means for confining a trace in engagement with the tongue or the hook. v 3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a whiffietree, a trace-receiv ing hook arranged at the side thereof, a tracereceiving tongue located at the end of the whiffietree, and a pivoted trace-holder arranged to swing upward and downward to Opel rand close it and provided with means for confining a trace in engagement with the tongue or the hook, said trace-holder being also provided with clamping means for holding it in its closed position. i

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a whiffletree provided at the side with a hook and having a tongue at the end, and a pivoted trace-holder arranged to open and close and provided with means for confining the trace in engagement with the whifl'lehook or tongue, said trace-holder being also provided with a pair of clamping-j aws located at opposite sides of the whiffietree for retaining the trace-holder in its closed position.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a whifiietree provided at the side with a hook and having a tongue at the end, and a pivoted trace-holder provided with means for engaging the tongue for retaining the trace thereon, said trace-holder being also provlded with a pair of clampingjaws located at opposite sides of the Whittletree, the jaw adjacent to the hook being extended at the bill of the same to close the entrance to the hook.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a whifiietree provided with a side hook and having an end tongue, and a pivoted trace-holder provided with opposite clamping-jaws and having an extended end portion arranged to engage the tongue.

7. In a device of the c ass described, the combination of a whiffletree provided with an end tongue, and a pivoted trace-holder provided at opposite sides of the whiffletree with clamping-jaws and having a hook at its end for engaging the tongue.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a whififletree provided with a tongue, and a pivoted trace-holder having laterally-extending clamping-jaws and provided with a hook consisting of an inner arm or shank and a narrow depending bill arranged to extend through the tongue.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a whifiletree provided with a hook having its bill arranged in spaced relation with the whiflietree, a pivoted traceholder provided at opposite sides of the whiffletree with clamping-jaws for retaining the trace-holder in its closed position, the clamping-j aw adjacent to the hook being provided with an extension located in the space between the bill of the hook and the whiflletree.

10. In a device of the class describedjlthe combination of a whifiletree having a side no hook and provided at the end with a tongue, and a trace-holder comprising a body portion provided at its inner end with ears pivoted to the whifiietree, clamping-jaws extending laterally from the outer end of the trace r15 holder, and a hook located between the clamping-jaws and extending from the outer end of the body portion of the traceholder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto a'l'lixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. WILSON.

Witnesses:

S. W. HAZEN, F. E. RAMsAY. 

